Life-guard for automobiles.



G. A. PARMENTER. LIFE GUARD FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLIGATION FILED SEPT.16,1913.

Patented Sept. 8,1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-union WASHINGTON, D. C.

U iTEDsrATEs PATENT orr onj,

GEORGE A. PARMENTE or CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

To all whom it may m.-

ments in fenders or Be it known that I, GEORGE A. PARMEN- TER, citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, Massachusetts, certain newfand useful Improvements in Life-Guards for Auton1obiles,"of which the following is aspecificationQ "1 p I My present invention relates to improvellife guards designed more especially for use on automobiles.

In devising my present invention, I have aimed to provide an extremely simple and economical form of guard which may be readily applied to any of the ordinary types of motor car.

Further objects which I have had in view are to provide a device which will yieldingly receive the impact of thebody encountered without the disastrous rebound" which usually. takes place, and which'may be folded backout of the way for access to vthe front of the car for cranking or other urposes, or whenrunning on rough country roads.

With these and other objects in view, the invention includes the novel features of con-- struction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the ap'pendedclaims. I

An embodiment of the invention is'illus t'rated in the accompanying drawing, in

, which Figure l is a side view of the front portion of a motor car withmy improved guard applied thereto and showing the normal position of-'the parts infull lines, the position assumed by the guard on impact with abody in dotted lines, and the folded back position in broken lines. Fig. 2 Figs. '3 and 4 are detail views.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing, the numeral 1 designates thefront portion of the body of a motor car, and 2 the springs; I find thata convenient man nor of effecting the support of the guard is by securing it to the front portionofthe springs, and to thisend I provide brackets 3,-which are designed to be secured to the upper leaves of the springs by suitablecllps. To these brackets are secured the bars4,

from which bars the scoop or guard proper is supported;

My preferred manner of supporting this LIFE-GUARD FOR AUTOMOBILES.

have invented isa plan View, and

Specification ofLetters Patent. A i t P t t t 14; i Application filed September 16,1913. fseriainareaoee.

scoop or guardis as follows: To the lower 5 portion of eachof the connected the rear or m'ember5,

bars 4t is pivotally end of a supporting rod which inclines downwardly'ito a point insuitable proximity to the road, the

5 with connected, the point of connec tion being indicated at 7 The fenderconi; prises an upwardly extend ngframe com prising the side bars 8 and top cross member 8 and a forwardly extending front portion 0,9, and between these two framesissecureda safety netting to catch a bodyen countered by the guard. I prefer to connect the netting, directly to the frame-9, 9 at its lower edge, but to connect its side edges to flexible elementssuch as chains 10, the

upper ends of .whichare elastically 'connected to'the up'pe r' portion 8 of the upwardly extending frame f by springs 11. It is es sential that the frame 8, 8* should be capable of yieldingbackwardly under the impact of a body to prevent inyury when it is desirable,

and also extremely 7 should be no recoil or rebound to the frame, as such rebound tends to throw the object out of or away from the fender, with the desirable that "there liability of resultant injury. The backward yielding of the 'fender is permitted bythe plvotal connection at 7, and the springs or elastic elements 12, preferably of curved leaf form extending from the uprights 8 back to the upper ends of stantially parallel with the rods or members 5. The connections between the springs 12 and the uprights 8 and bars 1 respectively are. pivotal connections. If a body be enthe bars 4; and being subs countered by the fender, the springs 12 will yield and, allow. therfender to swing back a distance according to the force of such, for example, as indicated in'dotted lines, and to prevent the-recoil or rebound of the fender under. 12, I provide the. ratchet bars 13 which are pivotally connected at their forwardends to the uprights 8 preferably by thesame device the impact the action of the springs a which connects the-front ends of the springs .12. Therear ends of these ratchet bars are provided with ratchet teeth 13 adaptedto ride freely over a suitable pin or projection 13, so that as the ratchet bar moves rearwardly its teeth ride over and engage such projection, and prevent; rebound or recoil until released by hand.

If it be desired to raise or lower the fender to bring its front edge a greater or less distance from the ground, it is only necessary to vary the inclination of the bars l by loosening the nuts on the bolts which secure the bars 4': to the brackets 3, and after the adjustment has been effected, again tightening the nuts to clamp the bars together rigidly. In order to hold the bars more rigidly or firmly to the brackets after the nuts on the bolts have been tightened the contacting faces of the lugs and bars may be roughened or serrated, as indicated respectlvely at 3 and P.

reason of the pivotal connection at both ends of the inclined members 5 and springs 12, when it is desired to crank the car or if the fender is not needed or would be likely to interfere with the road in rough country riding, it can be thrown backward over but free from the hood of the engine in the position indicated in broken lines. By holding the fender free from the engine hood when thus folded back scratching or defacing of the paint of the engine hood is prevented.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A fender or life guard for motor vehicles, comprising a pair of substantially upright bars, means for adjustably connecting said bars to the front end of a motor vehicle, supports projecting forward and downward from the lower ends of said bars, a fender comprising a rigid substantially L-sha-ped frame pivotally mounted upon the front ends of said supports, a resilient connection between the upper portion of said fender frame and the upper ends of said. bars, and locking means to prevent the rebound of the upper portion of the fender frame after it has been forced backwardly.

2. A life guard for motor vehicles comprising a pair of bars adapted to be adjustably connected to a motor vehicle, supporting members pivotally connected at their rear ends to the lower ends of said bars, and projecting forwardly and downwardly therefrom, a fender or scoop pivotally connee-ted to-the forward ends of said members, a pair of curved leaf springs pivotally connecting said fender above its point of pivotal support with the upper ends of said bars and a. ratchet bar pivotally connected to the portion of the fender above its point of pivotal support and cooperating with a suitable pin to hold the fender against rebound, substantially as described.

3. In combination with motor vehicle, a fender or scoop, a pair of links pivotally connected at their rear ends with the motor vehicle, and at their front ends with the lower portion of the scoop, a second pair of links above and substantially parallel with the first named links and pivotally connected respectively with the motor vehicle and with the fender, and rigid stop means for positively limiting the downward movement of the fend-er while permitting free upward folding movement thereof.

4. In combination with a motor vehicle, a fender or scoop, a pair of links pivotally connected respectively to the lower portion of the scoop and the front of the motor vehicle, a pair of links of resilient material above and substantially parallel with said first named links, and pivotally connected respectively with the fender and the front of the motor vehicle, and a ratchet bar extending between the fender and a stationary part on the motor vehicle, and operatively connected to said parts respectively, its points of connection being coincident with the points of pivotal connection of said resilient links whereby upward folding of the fender is permitted without derangement of the connections. H

5. In combination with a motor vehicle, a fender or scoop, a pair of substantially parallel elements pivotally connected at their front ends with the scoop and at their rear ends with the vehicle, thereby permitting upward and rearward folding of the scoop, one of said elements being a resilient element, and means cooperating with one of the elements for positively limiting the downward movement of the fender, substantially as described.

6. A life guard for motor vehicles comprising a. pair of bars adapted to be adjus tably connected to the front thereof, a pair .of links pivotally connected at their rear ends with the lower ends of said bars, a fender or scoop pivotally connected to the front ends of said links, a pair of spring links pivotally connected respectively to the fender and to the said bars above said first named links, and a pair of ratchet bars pivotally connected to the fender coincidently, with the pivots of the spring links, and having hooked ends engaging the pivots at the rear ends of said spring links, and ratchet teeth in proximity to said hooked ends.

7. In combination with a motor vehicle,

a fender or guard, upper and lower sets of 12 links each pivotally connected respectively with the motor vehicle and the guard, the upper set of links consisting of curved leaf springs.

8. In combination with a motor vehicle, 12 upper and lower pairs of links pivotally connected at their rear ends with the motor vehicle and projecting forward beyond the same, a fender having a normally substant1ally upright portion pivotally connected 13 with the forward ends of said links, said In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature I links being of a length sulficient to permit in presence of two Witnesses.

the fender to be folded up and back With its normally upright portion extending GEORGE PARMENTER' 5 backward over and free from the engine Witnesses:

hood, and means for normally holding the FREDERICK E. SMITH, fender the desired distance from the ground. FRANK VERNON CROCKPAD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington. 11 C. r 

